Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Again
by erre13
Summary: T. M. Riddle. She turned the book over in her hands a few times before flipping it open casually.
1. Chapter 1

**General Disclaimer:** I do not own the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling is the owner of Harry Potter and all its affiliates. Some themes may be similar to other stories on fanfiction, but I have not plagiarized any writing.

 **Chapter One.**

T. M. Riddle. She turned the book over in her hands a few times before flipping it open casually.

Blank. All the pages were blank. She supposed that the owner never got a chance to use the thing before he or she lost it, or perhaps it was a present that for some reason never got delivered. Judging from the condition of the book, it was rather old, but had been kept in decent enough shape. Well, finder's keepers and all that; she needed a notebook anyway. Writing on scrolls with quills was still something to get used to. The girl put the book into her backpack and went towards Ravenclaw's Tower. Once inside she took out the book, a pen from her bag, and made herself comfortable in a nook between the window and the bookshelves. The common room had its uses for blending in and not garnering attention; she just had to look for the right places. She took her black fine point pen and debated whether or not to write on the inside cover. A stereotypical "This belongs to…" would be rather pointless considering the name emblazoned on the spine. She shook her head and skipped the first two pages before writing.

 _thursday. 13 october 1992_

 _The magical world seems to be a bit backwards. Wizards and witches have the ability to create the most wondrous things, yet their view on nonmagicals seem out of character compared to the intelligence and willpower needed to wield magic—granted I have witnessed cases where the so called pureblooded higher class suffers from a visible tradition of inbreeding._

 _From my observations this past month and a half, I have seen that people rely too much on magic and are left completely dumbfounded and vulnerable when faced with a situation where "physical" or "Muggle" ways of doing things interrupts their routine. For instance, wands are held with such reverence, yet they are so easily broken. Apparently. RW (G2) broke his wand before coming to school and seemed to think that fixing it with a bit of tape would solve all his problems. Even I can see that wand creation is almost like a scientific art and I would have expected better from someone raised in such a society._

 _People seem to be rather careless with their wands, putting them in back pockets, behind ears, or using them to tie up their hair in the case of some girls. With the whole society's view on Muggles, I wonder if faced with a physical fight if any one of my peers would be able to keep going if I managed to disarm them and snap their wand. What would they do then besides consider it cowardly or cheating? I'm sure there is even some law against doing so._

Emeree finished her first entry and looked up to view the slowly filling common room. Dinner would be held shortly if the gathering of people was anything to go by. Unbeknownst to her, the first drop of ink of the page had activated a chain of delayed spells embedded into the leather tome. One of Tom Riddle's horcruxes had awoken and was taking in the freshly written passage. The memory of a boy smirked slightly as he read over the contents. He had assumed that the first contact to his diary would be that of someone pouring out their woes and worries about school, friends, love interests even, but this was much more appealing. Looking back down, Emeree was startled to find that her writing was slowly disappearing and being replaced with a handwriting that was not her own.

 _ **Interesting observations and thoughts.**_

She watched as those words too seemed to just disappear within the pages of the book. How was it doing that? She hadn't heard about such an object or read about it and the children in her dorm didn't seem to have anything similar. Was this just another artifact of the magical world that people took for granted and didn't bother to explain to muggleborns? Artificial intelligence was a concept still under research within the Muggle world, but she had seen bathroom mirrors throughout the castle that talked and gave advice pertaining to appearance. Perhaps this was some type of study aide? She decided to ignore the response for now and continue to write. If it was magically programmed to be sentient, it would respond no matter what she wrote. This passage would be a musing about the book itself to see if it would spout out anything else.

 _Curious. Despite having seen mirrors responding to some type of voice activated spells, I wasn't aware that study aides existed as well that commented on a person's writing. Hello world! I can now understand why professors are diligent about checking for special quills or parchment for exams._

 _the quik browen fox jumpped over the lazee read dog?_

 _Yesterday, evening, she will decided to rake the leafs wash the dog go to the bank and attends a party!_

 _The blew store had run out of succulent stationary paper._

She waited for those words to fade as well to see if the journal made any corrections or had anything else to say. Tom found the entire exchange somewhat humorous, yet at the same time could not help compliment on the method used to test a theory. Judging from what was being written, whoever was in possession of his diary was a mudblood. He found it entertaining that he was being tested on syntax, grammar, pragmatics, spelling, and use of punctuation. It was actually a bit clever, but despite the various intentional errors he would not be chalked up to being a wizarding review tool. However, his plan of acting as a sympathetic confidant may not work in this case even if the person was a mudblood. He considered leaving a general reply again in order to continue to read a few more bits of insight from this individual, but he may just end up revealing himself to someone who may turn him in to some authority figure. He may not even be within the halls of Hogwarts. The writer had not mentioned anything about a particular school, yet the reference for RW (G2) must be a code for a person. G for Gryffindor perhaps. He would remain silent for now.

Emeree waited a few moments before deciding that the book acted like the mirrors, most likely responding to certain code words or sporadically. Slightly disappointing for sure, but she would work with what she had. Maybe she could look into the spells and actually make a decent working study aide. First, she would need to figure out how to keep her writing from disappearing. By this time people were heading down to the Great Hall for dinner and she decided to put all the thinking aside in place of food. Regardless, she slid the book into her bag in case dinner was uneventful.

An uneventful dinner it was indeed. The food was relatively the same, the conversation mostly centered around Quidditch, studies, and the pointed out animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Honestly, she didn't know how she would survive from the food choices alone. Roast beef, roast lamb, roast potatoes, roast chicken, it was always the same types of proteins. She looked over at the population and figured that it was mostly white children, but what about the obviously more ethnic students, including herself? Or, Merlin forbid, if someone wanted to each fish or were vegetarian. She turned to one of the older students, Cho, and waited for her discussion about Charms to finish.

"Excuse me, Cho, do you know who I can talk to regarding food preference?" The girl gave her such a bewildered look that she wondered if she had made a social faux pas. After a moment the girl cleared her throat and answered.

"Well, you are welcome to go down to the kitchens and have a talk with the house elves, though they tend to be rather particular about their work." House elves? She had not been aware that there were other species living within the castle.

"Thank you. Where would I find them?" Cho snuck a glance to the Hufflepuff table before turning back to her.

"It's towards the Hufflepuff dormitory. I'll introduce you to Cedric and he can help you." Emeree observed that Cho blushed a bit when referring to Cedric and decided that she would be somewhat pleasant and not comment on the girl's romantic interest. But, it was information to keep in mind for sure.

"I would really appreciate that thanks." Everyone was currently eating dessert so she pulled out the diary and made a quick note.

 _House elves are currently in charge of the Hogwarts kitchen. CC (R3) has agreed to introduce me to CD (H4) in order to find the correct passageway._

She was just wasting time at this point since the letters faded to reveal blankness. With dinner not quite finished she began a quick sketch. Tom watched the image emerge from the confines of the book and never really took into account that someone would do anything other than write in his diary. The image was messy and gestural but had enough detail that he could make out the familiar setting of the Great Hall within Hogwarts. From the vantage point, he was in the possession of a Ravenclaw. He shouldn't have been surprised since that house tended to have more mudbloods than the others even in his time. Based on the previous entry, it was a Ravenclaw first year. Tom continued to watch as the student this time imagined a creature that was part organic beast and part machinery. The anatomy was comical in its inaccuracy but the idea of merging the two worlds was intriguing. Despite his followers being overly concerned with blood status, he had seen plenty of examples of weak purebloods and powerful halfbloods and mudbloods, one would need only look at him as example. It brought back to mind the comment about how wizards would react if their wand was snapped in half. Since most children allowed themselves to be limited in their beliefs of magic mainly due to the fostering of wand dependency, they really wouldn't be able to fight back. The orphanage at least had taught him how to hold his own in a physical fight, he couldn't say the same for any of his schoolmates.

"Emeree." Emeree snapped her head back up to look at Cho and quickly tucked everything away in her backpack. The older girl led her over to the Hufflepuff table towards Cedric, who was rather handsome in her opinion but she hoped he had smarts to back up the looks.

"Cedric, this is Emeree, one of our first years. I was hoping you could show her the way towards the kitchens. I've never been, but I've heard it's towards your passageway." Cedric took a look at her before smiling.

"Well, it is always nice to know something you Ravens don't. Sure. Are you coming along?" He glanced at Cho and seemed to enjoy how she blushed if his smirk was anything to go by. Emeree narrowed her eyes and appraised him as well. Cedric looked to be knowledgeable enough she supposed, but she would ditch both of them, because of course Cho was coming along, as soon as she found the door.

"I'll just go get my bag." Cho turned and headed back towards their table. Cedric then focused all his attention on her, though now he was scrutinizing her suspiciously.

"So, any particular reason you want to find the kitchens?" His voice was smooth and even, but he couldn't hide the curiosity in the end.

"I want to talk to the house elves about food preference." He chuckled before standing. He was quite a bit taller than she was but she didn't step back.

"For some reason, I thought you would want to talk to them about their rights. Usually most muggleborns find out about them and ask one of us to show them the way." Rights? She would have to look into that when she went down there.

"I'm not quite ready to be crusading for the downtrodden." She said it blandly, not particularly meant as a joke but Cedric seemed to think it was. He patted her on the shoulder a few times.

"No, I don't suppose you are. When you do, I'm sure the Gryffindors would have something to say about it." He glanced at Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermionie Granger when saying so. Emeree had heard of them of course. Not to mention that most of the new students within her house had read the same books proclaiming Harry Potter to be a hero and The-Boy-Who-Lived. His exploits last year regarding the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor were still circulating the school. However, Emeree wondered if anyone ever saw what she did. A bit too thin. A bit too spooked. A bit too tense when around the male professors. Not confident in his posture, his eye contact, his attitude when speaking to anyone besides his best friends. These were things she noticed, but had not voiced her concerns about. It was the first year she was observing him, if it continued to be a problem then she would talk to someone.

"I'm ready to go." Cho had returned and Emeree was glad that Cedric's attentions were back to the older girl. Now she would be able to observe in peace, for the most part.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two.**

It really was rather clever to hide the door inside a painting. She watched as the pear squirmed and turned into a green door complete with a knob before looking back at an amused Cedric and anxious Cho. She grinned.

"Thanks. I will probably be a while so you two can go off without me." They didn't move. "Unless, of course, you need to talk to the house elves too?"

"Hufflepuff won't have a party until the first match of the season and we just had dinner." Cedric said. Cho was silent. Emeree saw her want to make sure that the first year under her care was accounted for but at the same time wanted to be alone with Cedric.

"In that case, maybe Cho can walk you to your common room? I would say you could walk her to ours, but yours is nearby." Cho was blushing profusely at this point and Cedric chuckled.

"Never say that I am chauvinist. Cho, if you would be so kind?" He held out her arm and while the girl looked down briefly he threw a quite look and wink at Emeree which told her that he knew exactly what she was doing. "'Til next time little raven." She didn't bother to follow their departure, but instead opened the green door and went into the kitchen.

It looked like a replica of the Great Hall with the addition of multiple cooking spaces, a large fireplace, cleaning stations, and various other doors that led elsewhere. As soon as she entered multiple voices vied for her attention.

"Miss wants something from the kitchens?"

"What can Flopsy get Miss?"

"We's just made cookies."

"Chocolate chip!"

"Oatmeal raisin!"

"No, Miss wants cake!" There was a small argument erupting between a few of the house elves and Emeree couldn't help but laugh quietly. She took a seat at the nearest bench and smiled kindly and waited for them to become a bit less excited. Eventually all eyes and floppy ears were facing her direction.

"Thank you for the hospitality. I'm actually here to talk to someone about the menu. Who would be the best elf to talk to?" All movement stopped. She continued to smile.

"Is there's somethings wrong with the food?" An older elf asked. Emeree followed the female's movements through the crowd as the elf easily glided past all the younger workers before standing before her. There was a defiant look in the elf's eyes that Emeree admired.

"No, the food is delicious actually. However, I've noticed that the menu is the same for every meal." The elf frowned.

"The Great Missus Helga Hufflepuff taught us these recipes." Emeree was surprised that the menu had changed as much as it had then.

"I'm glad that you keep her traditions. I'm not asking that you change everything, but I've noticed that there is a diverse group of students who attend this school, more diverse than when the Founders started the school. While you take into account the cuisine from around this area, what about for the students who are more ethnically diverse?" The elf flapped her left ear and was silent for a moment before speaking.

"We's not gotten any complaints so far." Emeree glanced around and saw that many of the elves were now very interested in the conversation.

"Yes, I'm sure. But, that may be because the students do not think they have a choice. We, as students, board here for a good portion of the year with the only available outings available to the upper years at the nearest village. As a premiere school, shouldn't Hogwarts offer a diverse menu that allows students to sample international faire? I'm sure that some of you," she made a sweeping motion with her hand, "have served those who have eaten cuisine from France, Italy, India, China, Russia, Bulgaria, the States, as well as other places abroad. This would allow you to improve your skills and perhaps meld the styles of cooking and flavors into a menu that could be unique to Hogwarts." There was a burst of conversation at this point as the younger elves looked excited, but it became silent again as the older elf raised her hand.

"And what you's want? Why come to the elves and not the Headmaster?" Emeree sighed.

"Honestly, I'm a bit tired of roasts. Sometimes I want to eat fish or sometimes I watch some of the Indian students try to pick through the roast vegetables. I don't want you to change everything. I'll settle for having designated nights for specific cuisines." She gave a bit smile and leaned down and whispered, "I also miss eating Filipino food." The elf laughed, the sound was scratchy and deep, almost guttural but it made Emeree smile wide.

"Okays, I's talk with Headmaster. Maybes we's start with specific nights a week." Here her demeanor changed and became more authoritative. " Flopsy, Bugsy, Caddy, Bailey, yous in charge of planning." All four specified elves bowed deeply and before going to gather more elves to work on the change in menu. "Anythings else elves can help for Miss?" Emeree looked at the tables and brought up something that had been tickling the back of her brain.

"Well, there is actually." The old elf raised an eyebrow. "Hogwarts doesn't have an introductory class to wizarding customs. I was wondering if the elves could help with that too."

"We's elves, not wizards."

"I am aware, but you all know about food, and wine, and cutlery. Most students who aren't purebloods, and even some that are, don't know about table settings, or what fork to use for salad versus dessert. I don't know about wizarding traditions and how you prepare for them, or any dishes or drinks that are popular within the magical community. If I am going to be in this world, these are some things that I can't just read out of a book. When I graduate, I want to know how to conduct myself properly. Imagine what would happen if I were invited to a foreign delegate's house and embarrassed myself. I'm sure I would smear Hogwart's reputation." She knew she had them when the elf's lips pursed and seemed to understand why this might be important.

"I's sees. I's bring up with Headmaster." She looked around and barked a few names that she couldn't make out and assumed it was in their language. "Miss is welcomes in kitchen anytime." The elf made to leave but Emeree stood.

"Sorry, you never said your name." The old elf pulled back her lips in a menacing smile before saying some guttural yet whimsical noises. Emeree, being a natural observer and sponge of all things, immediately tried replicating what she heard a few times before settling on something close. She looked at the elf for approval and was met with a look that was something akin to respect.

"Miss mays call me Coco." Emeree bowed.

"Thank you Coco. My name is Emeree Reyes and I really appreciate you listening." She was startled when she felt paper whack her across the head. Coco was holding a balled up edition of The Prophet.

"Firsts lessons. No bowing to elves. Disrespectfuls." Emergee rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Okay, then what do I do?" Coco looked her over for a moment as if wondering if it would be worth teaching an outsider anything.

"Flap ears." Emeree blinked before attempting to make her ears move. She felt them wiggle, but couldn't do much more than that. Coco seemed to find her attempts and her face amusing because she stated, "That do. Radish bring you back to dorm room." Emeree stood at the dismissal and turned to an elf that was tugging her skirt. Radish didn't seem to look anything like a radish so the name must have been arbitrary.

"Missy Mer follow Radish. I's take you to dorm now."

"Thank you Radish. I will follow you then." She turned and waved her goodbyes to the kitchen before following Radish out of the portrait hole. Behind her all the elves spoke loudly in their language about the Ravenclaw first year who deigned to visit them with a purpose besides just getting snacks. An old elf, male this time, wandered over to Coco and had a conversation. The Headmaster would have some interesting talks within the coming week.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

Radish was happily telling stories of Hogwarts and his favorite places, some Emeree had no idea how to get to such as the crawlspace between the owlry. She was learning a lot. Radish's ears would twitch in excitement but when he was telling her about times he didn't have anything to clean they would droop. Most of their expressions seemed to be conveyed through ears. Along with musing over Radish and his auditory sensors, she thought about Coco and how her words and decisions carried weight within the house elf kitchen. She wasn't overly surprised that they were a matriarchal society, but wondered how they were influenced by the change in the world in general and other magical beings. Soon enough they were in front of the Ravenclaw door knocker.

"Radish, thank you for helping me find my way back. Hopefully we will see each other again?" She had phrased it as a question in order to include the elf at her side. Radish nodded his head vigorously.

"Oh, yes, yes. If Missy Mer needs anythings, calls Radish." Emeree smiled brightly.

"I will. Hopefully next time you will tell me how to say your name in your language as well." Radish's eye twitched slightly but did not respond. "I didn't mean to offend." Emeree had heard a few fairy tales when she was younger talk about how fairies' names had power. Perhaps, it was for this reason that Radish was silent.

"Radish thinks maybe. Night, night Missy Mer." Emeree waved as Radish winked away, most likely back to the kitchens. She listened patiently to the riddle from the door knocker and answered it easily. She found that Cho had waited in the common room for her and smiled at the girl.

"Hello." Cho looked her over, making sure she was unharmed, before responding.

"Did your meeting with the house elves go well?" Truthfully, she was only vaguely interested. Cho had taken the girl as her responsibility as soon as they walked out of the Great Hall and wanted to make a good impression on the current Prefects and Professor Flitwick.

"Yes it did. Thank you for introducing me to Cedric. I really appreciate it." Cho nodded before going up the stairs to the dorm room. Emeree sat at one of the nooks and took out the journal.

 _House elf language is almost a mixture of guttural throaty sounds and singing. It is hard to replicate but seems interesting to learn. I need to look up what other creatures roam the area and see if I can ask for an audience._

Tom looked at those words and raised an eyebrow. This first year was able to hear the language of the house elves? Usually, their species preferred to stay out of the sight of wizards. Granted, there weren't any books that gave much insight on their culture from what he could remember. However, they were still a branch of the Fey and thus had their own division of powerful magic. If the current holder of his diary was set on making alliances with magical creatures, it might not be a bad idea to mold him or her into someone in a position of power that could be useful later on. He would have to wait and see what happened. With a though he let all the previous entries reappear. The book had a never ending spell woven into the pages so he didn't need to worry about space. He also allowed his comments to stay. Whoever had him in his or her possession had kept the diary close to them for a long enough time that he knew their magical signature. In the event someone else picked it up, he would just make everything blank again.

Emeree was startled to find that her previous entries, along with the comment from the book, reemerged. Even her drawing was included and she flipped the page in wonder to find that her entry on house elves was the very last one. Something must have triggered the book. Perhaps, there was a certain time limit a person had to write in it? She would need to visit the library tomorrow in order to find some information.

 _These children for the most part are privileged and haven't yet been held accountable for actions that have consequences. This place, while entertaining and fun, is also a place where mistakes can be made and because of the isolation, nothing really matters. Our purpose is to learn magic to the extent that we can function as regular members of society. Unfortunately, I can already see that there is a great divide and a system based on classism. I, being a muggleborn, am on the lowest tier of the social ladder especially without any connections in the magical world. It is somewhat refreshing since there are no expectations. I am already considered to be less than nothing, so anything positive will be taken as either surprise or be cast off as overachievement. It is the perfect opportunity to cultivate a different type of outlook for myself while remaining in the background of the greater picture. HP (G2) is infamous for something that I am sure was beyond his abilities. But, rumor has it, he is living with his Muggle relatives. He should be in the same position as me, but with his halfblood status and fame, people seem to forget that he doesn't know anything about wizarding culture. They have given him leeway for his ignorance while the rest of us are looked down upon._

 _This generation is the first to be born after a war. I have heard that the number of attending students is lower than it has been in the last few decades. It is also a generation that fears the name of a man. Voldemort was a hard name to find. The only references are to a man called You-Know-Who. Despite his death, he is still so feared that his name is not spoken. I wonder how extraordinary he had to be so that people, whose numbers overwhelmed his and his followers and that had the same abilities as him, decided it was best to kneel rather than fight. There is nothing said of his background, his name an obvious alias but if he was so extraordinary, you would think that there would be a record of him somewhere. You would think that someone would have recognized him, remembered his rise to power, or traced his knowledge. You would think that others would have been inspired enough to copy him, but improve upon his failings. He, as one man, showed the world the inability of magical Britain to take their own power. He exposed the failings of the magical community and it has not been fixed. He left a country vulnerable for the taking, with the heads of government merely for show if the current policies are anything to go by. He left a situation that I am curious to watch play out._

Emeree started at her musings and wondered what brought it on. She was also deeply aware how people would react if this page was found. She attempted to rip the page out but was confused when it wouldn't tear. After a few minutes, all she had to show for her efforts was a nasty paper cut that had bled a few drops onto the page. As if the book could understand her intentions, the page slowed faded away along with the blood stains. For the first time, she wondered if she had in her possession something that was more malevolent in nature. She took a deep breath and shut the book as normally as she could, wondering if it could sense her growing anxiety. She did not know about a lot of things in the magical world. Her bubble as of now had been relatively safe. Dark artifacts existed, she had read about them; Professor Lockhart's autobiographies mentioned a few, not that she believed he did any of what he claimed. But, artifacts of magic were real. She stared at the blood from her finger drop onto the cover of the book and become absorbed into the bindings. She had just given her blood to something semi-sentient. What would happen now?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

Tom Riddle was pondering the next steps. The last diary entry was peculiar. It has started off in one direction and ended in another that he hadn't expected. And then, blood had graced the pages of the book. The three meagre drops helped strengthen him and put him closer to tangible existence. It was a giant leap towards his goals, much faster than he anticipated. He also knew what has transpired. Whoever it was had written something that would definitely be taken against the current norm and tried to rip it out of the diary. He could feel the spells working against the damage. The person most likely cut their finger on the pages and watched as blood absorbed into the book. So far, the writer seemed intelligent, especially for a first year, and with the lack of entries, he was sure that whoever it was, was currently thinking over the nature of this book.

Dark artifacts existed, that was something that was mentioned in the first Defense class. Not everything was good, not everything was light, that was why there was a class in the first place. Now, he was stuck waiting on the decision that might cost him a piece of immortality. If a professor got his or her hands on the diary, if they were even remotely sufficient at their job, they would be able to tell immediately that this was something that shouldn't be allowed near students.

Study aids of this type had not existed in his time and without knowing the date, despite being able to have a rough estimate thanks due to the last entry, he couldn't know if anyone he went to school with would be a professor and recognize his name. He had not felt any other magical signatures holding him in their possession, but also did not know what had been done with his book. He was still inside; he had not been tossed into the Black Lake or burned in one of the common room fires. He wondered if he had been left in an empty classroom.

…

Meanwhile, Emeree was staring at the book currently at the foot of her bed. Despite her reservations, she had brought it with her. It was well into the early morning but she was still trying to figure out what the book was. No demons or other worldly being had appeared, for which she was grateful, but she then started to wonder if she was being cautious over nothing. The book had absorbed the ink as easily as it had absorbed her blood, so it could be said that it would absorb all liquids in equal fashion without discrimination. She had tried a drop of water and a drop of her roommate's nail polish remover, but both had stayed on the page as if the paper itself were hydrophobic. She had wiped them off with a tissue but was left with her original thoughts. So far, the book absorbed ink and blood. She wasn't willing to try many other liquids and ever since her blood had fallen on the pages she felt like something was different.

It had been barely noticeable at first, but she had felt something, as if there was someone else in the room with her, but not in the same way that the hair on the back of your neck or arms stood up. It was as if she knew someone else was there and merely acknowledged the presence. It was as if one of her classmates was in the room and they just didn't interact with each other. She couldn't shake the feeling. It was only really apparent when she was alone, like now, but she knew it had to do with the book. There was something off about it and she knew she should have been a bit more cautious at the beginning. But, now, it had her blood and she wanted to know what it was going to do about it.

She chewed on her lip, pulling at the dry skin, before scooting closer to the diary and picking it up. Again, the only discernable features were that it had a leather covering and the letters T. M. Riddle were on the binding. It was a name, she was sure, but there was no date of publishing for the item itself. The pages were blank except for the entries she wrote, minus the last one. The book also felt alive. That was the only way to explain it. There was an energy coming from it that was absent before. She could feel, as if using a sixth sense, perhaps it was magic feeling magic. She wanted to know if she would be safe for the night or if someone, or _something_ , would come out of the book and attack her while she slept. It was foolish, idiotic. She should have given it to a teacher but she was just so _curious._ She picked up a quill, dropped ink on a blank page and watched it disappear.

Tom stared at the ink drop for a moment before realizing that someone was interacting with the book again. Or more specific, the same Ravenclaw first year was interacting with the book again. Nothing happened for a few moments before a slash of red swiped across the page. He took a minute step back in shock. It was a deliberate smear of blood and it was definitely more than a few drops. He could feel his strength increasing and he would only need a few more slashes like that to be completely corporeal in this form.

Emeree hadn't really thought the idea through as she nursed held her thumb with a tissue. She had poked it with the nib of the quill thinking that maybe if the book had more blood, whatever was inside would come out. Nothing had happened so far, but the awareness that there was someone else in the room was sharper. She winced as she thought of how it was characters like her who died first in scary movies. Stupid and curious, that was what she was. She took the quill and decided that if something did come out and eat her, she hoped her roommates would hear her screams.

 _Hello?_

Hello. Tom started laughing as he read the word as various scenarios flashed through his mind. Emeree waited a minute before deciding that she could sleep somewhat safely. As she touched the book cover to close it, a response appeared on the page.

 ** _Hello._**

Her heart started beating rather quickly. She hadn't really thought about a response, more concerned about not getting eaten. She had probably not been replying fast enough because another entry appeared on the page.

 ** _Are you scared?_**

Funny enough, that question calmed her heart a bit. She would have expected it to say "Don't be scared" as some type of reassurance instead of asking a question. Of course, it could be more insidious than she made it out to be, but this, somehow, seemed more human.

 _Honestly, I am a little scared, but also curious. I was scared that a demon would try and eat me as I slept._

He couldn't help but chuckle at the response. So truthful this Ravenclaw, but also unintentionally amusing. Though, a fear of demons was real in the magical world. Rituals could summon them and bind them in objects. He had only read of accounts, but it was a sort of magic that had very high risks. It was considered beyond taboo to deal with demonic entities. Not even Grindelwald had delved into that branch of magic, despite the rumors stating otherwise. Though, the use of past tense was curious.

 ** _I can say with confidence, that I am not a demonic entity of any kind._**

Emeree thought over that response. A killer wouldn't normally confess to being one in most cases. She wasn't completely naïve to the ways of the world. There was always a consequence, there was always a payment.

 _I don't exactly believe you just yet, but you have neither confirmed or denied your desire to eat me as I sleep._

It was almost half past two and she wanted to sleep. She would worry about consequences and payments later.

 ** _I have no desire to eat you, at this time._**

It was most likely the best she would get.

 _I will hold you to your word._

She closed the book and shoved it into her bag. It might not be the safest option, but she hoped that no one would root around in it looking for parchment or ink to borrow in the morning. Just in case, she left some extra supplies on her bedside dresser so they would be easy to find. After cocooning herself within the blankets of her four-poster bed, she stared at the curtained ceiling which was charmed like the night sky. There were no artificially colored nebulas or galaxies as could be seen within the muggle world, but the gentle movements of the stars lulled her to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.**

He was amused, so amused that he was considering letting the Ravenclaw live. So far, it had not been dull except for the brief stint of inactivity. But, being suspected of being a demon was just so hilarious that he could feel himself smiling. Apparently, his older self was so feared that his name was struck from the books, but the idea of being a demon appealed a bit more to him. Demons were generally more feared than Dark Lords and the idea that a naïve student would refer to him as one without understanding the connection to his older self was comical. More so, because she was the most concerned about being eaten while she slept. He was considered cruel, merciless, and predatory but had never been called a demon by anyone in his lifetime. The closest was Devil Child by the matron at the orphanage, but that had been a long time ago. His musings took on a different turn when he considered demonology and the fabled summoning techniques. He had never witnessed one in person and there had been only a few references to them within the Hogwarts library, but he had been gifted a book during his seventh year by Abraxas that had one chapter dedicated to the topic. Summoning circles had lost favor over the centuries, especially since transfiguration and charms could either alter or conjure anything a person needed. Summonings and rituals were left to those like the druids and families who still worshipped the Old Gods. However, he wondered if he could modify or create a summoning circle to fit his needs. He would think more upon it later, after all, it would depend heavily on his feelings regarding the Ravenclaw's life; not to mention, it would be much more complicated than his original plan. It would be so much easier to just drain the girl dry as was originally intended.

Emeree woke a bit later than usual, but woke up none the less. She sighed thankfully before taking her shower things into the bathroom. As she went through her morning routine, her thumb stung a bit from the shampoo as she washed her hair. She was glad that Hogwarts had hot water even after hundreds of students using the bathroom in the morning. She didn't have to worry about the next person or how long she took.

She finished rinsing and toweled off, ignoring the comments from the mirror regarding her lack of feminine accessories. She was even tempted to stick her tongue out at the thing, but refrained. It wasn't wise to let some inanimate object rile you up. That thought stopped her from toweling her hair. She didn't check if the journal was still under her pillow! However, there was no need to act stranger than usual. She put on her casual clothing and ran a brush through her hair before running a hand through it to mess it up again. Who did she need to impress on a Saturday anyway? After placing her pajamas in the laundry basket provided, she walked out of the bathroom and headed towards her bed. Luckily, it seemed as if all of her other roommates had left for breakfast so she wouldn't be disturbed for a few minutes. Feeling under her pillow, she let out a small sigh of relief after the touch leather under her fingers. She pulled out the book and shoved it into her bag. If anything did happen, she would rather have some witnesses around.

She was about to go through the door when a pair of dirty sneakers caught her eye under Ashley's bed. Ashley Sykes, as a pureblood, wouldn't be caught dead owning a pair of muggle sneakers. Emeree grabbed them and frowned at the little ceramic vegetables that entwined the laces. Right, Ashley and the others were still bothering Luna. She cast a quick cleaning charm on the shoes before also shoving them into her bag. Perhaps she could conveniently give them back when Flitwick said his greetings to their table.

Unfortunately, that plan wasn't able to be fulfilled since Luna wasn't at breakfast. Emeree ate her sausage and egg sandwich she made while wondering how to find her roommate. The shoes didn't particularly weigh much, but at the same time she didn't want to walk around with them all day in her bag. She made a few more sandwiches and wrapped them with some napkins before stuffing them into her bag as well. Adventures always made her hungry. As soon as she was outside the hall, she made her way to the front entrance and sat on the stairs.

Emeree took a few moments to appreciate the scene in front of her. The grass was still green and the air was clear of pollutants since the nearest nonmagical settlement was hundreds of miles away. Even on a Saturday there were those willing to get up early if only to enjoy a pick-up game of quidditch and laugh along the banks of the lake.

 _saturday. 15 october 1992_

 _Sometimes I wonder if I will truly belong to this world of magic. Sometimes I wonder if it is all just a grand delusion I've created to escape everyday life. Magic, spells, potions, creatures that people would only consider as fantasy and myth; it could just be an elaborate story to forget their—_

"Look out!" Emeree stared at the slightly cloudy sky and wondered how she went from writing to being flat on her back, all her possessions in disarray. She rolled to her side and came face to face with blue eyes and hair so red that it looked like fire.

"Sorry about that, didn't think…"

"… someone would be blocking the steps."

"Bad luck." There were two. Two pairs of blue eyes and two sets of fire hair. Emeree pushed herself to a sitting position and looked at the speakers properly. Twins with the reddest hair she had ever seen were leaning over her slightly, their faces inches from hers.

"You think she's in shock?"

"Over my good looks?"

"Excuse me, I'm the more handsome looking one."

"You only think that dear brother."

"What do you think?!" Both boys had a hand stretched out to her to help her up and she couldn't help but laugh when taking them. As soon as she was on her feet she started sorting her belongings back into her bag.

"Well, one of you knocked me over and since I don't know who it was, I say that you both lose some points in attractiveness." Their identical looks of shock made her laugh again. "But, since both helped me up, I guess you can have those points back." She slung her bag on one shoulder and held out both her hands to shake and was surprised when they both took one each, turned it slightly, and bowed over them until she could feel their exhale over her knuckles.

"And we really apologize about that."

"We would never..."

"…unknowingly knock over…"

"…a lady that wasn't…"

"…our Aunt Muriel." They had the cheekiest grins she had ever seen and it sent another fit of laughter through her.

"Right. Well, my name is Emeree, nice to make your acquaintance." When they stood up, she noticed how much taller they were than her. _Guess they weren't first of second years._

"Name's Fred." The other immediately pushed him out of the way.

"No, I'm Fred!"

"No, I am. You're George!"

"You're George!"

"Fred!"

"George!"

"Gred!"

"Forge!"

"We're Forge and Gred!" They had their arms slung about each other's necks in camaraderie that could only have been brotherly love. Emeree smiled slightly at their ridiculous display, especially since they had caught the attention of some fellow students. There was even a girl who looked around her age who was heading right towards them; she even had the same hair. The two boys seemed to take notice and backed away slowly.

"Now, now, Ginny…"

"…we didn't mean to get you…"

"…right, we were aiming at ickle Ronniekins." The girl made a large grunting noise before she launched herself at the two, knocking them both down, which led to her being knocked down for the second time and her bag spilling all over the lawn. After getting her bearings, Emeree could only watch the fight that ensued with two teenagers and a little girl, but it seemed that the girl was winning.

"Are you three related by any chance?" All three figures stopped before the twins started laughing in earnest.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, Weasley hair is pretty hard to come by." One boy pulled at his locks for emphasis.

"If you aren't a Weasley." She wasn't sure who was talking, but she thought it was George, but it might have been Fred.

"Sorry about my annoying brothers. You can just ignore them. I'm Ginny." Ginny had thrust her hand forward, but kept the annoyed scowl on her face. Emeree shook it briefly before continuing to pick up her stuff.

"Right. Nice to meet you all." She was shoving Luna's shoes in her bag when she was stopped by a hand on her arm. There was a slightly pressure there that made her turn around. Ginny was still scowling.

"Hey, those are Luna's shoes. Are you the one who keeps taking them?" The accusation rung in the air for a while before Emeree got to her senses. She could hear the whispers being traded through the crowd.

"No, I found them and was going to return them." Ginny was still looking at her suspiciously, but now even her brothers were. Of course, she was just a stranger and they would take her side, even if they didn't know all the facts.

"You've been carrying them in your bag this whole time?" It did sound pretty strange.

"I was going to return them at breakfast, but I didn't see her." Ginny thrust out her hands again, but with a more demanding attitude.

"I'll take them. We've been friends since we were little." Emeree had no choice but to hand the shoes over. It wasn't like Luna Lovegood herself was going to come and speak on her behalf.

"Well, thanks I guess. Nice meeting you." She smiled faintly but didn't receive any back. As she passed them she could hear Ginny talking to her brothers.

"I bet you she's one of the ones whose been bullying Luna. She is always missing her books and stuff."

"Well, Ginny, you can't know for sure."

"She might have just been trying to help."

"Whatever." Their voices were fading away with each step but Emeree could still feel the embarrassment as heat on her face. She only said the truth but she could already see the suspicion from the other students. What was even worse was that the Weasley's were Sacred Twenty Eight and their word was far more reaching than hers. She didn't want to be labeled as a thief within this world, especially within her first few months. She sighed, there wasn't really much she could do about it. Hopefully she could explain away the misunderstanding, even if she was a bit angry about the outcome. She reached inside her bag for the journal, but couldn't feel leather on her fingertips. She rummaged around and eventually pulled everything out looking for it. The journal wasn't there. She should have started panicking considering its suspicious nature and what she had written inside, but was somehow a bit calmer. She sat on a log and contemplated what to do now and if that Ginny girl would blab about everything she read inside.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

Ginny had given Luna back her shoes and asked about Emeree hoping to hear that the girl was the one who was taking her friend's things. There was something about the girl that she didn't like, she didn't act like the rest of them. She seemed too serious, which was a big contrast to herself and her entire family. It reminded her of her brother's friend Hermione who was such a stickler for the rules. There was something about both of them that she didn't like. It was too bad that Emeree had been telling the truth about giving the things back, though Luna didn't have much more to say about the girl despite them being roommates. Though, Ginny was surprised to find the book she had brought to Hogwarts in the grass where that girl's things had fallen. She hadn't seen it since the first day when she lost it but was curious to know what was inside. Surely, the girl would have written in it. That was originally her idea. She had never had a diary since most of her family's money went to necessary supplies, there had never been any left over to spend on a frivolous thing. It was a possibility that a diary had never even occurred to her parents since she spent most of the time outdoors playing with her brothers anyway. But, it was nice to have something of her own. Even though it had been second hand from the name on the spine, it was empty. But, now, it was probably filled with someone else's writing. Second hand was one thing, but she didn't want to have someone else's cast off on top of it. That was just too much. Maybe there was something in here that she could use to make that girl's life a bit difficult. She opened the book and turned the first few pages, and kept turning. The book itself was still entirely blank. Ginny clenched her teeth. _Don't tell me that girl was trying to find the owner of this too._ She felt a little bad about thinking those things, but whatever. She took a quill from her side table and started writing.

 _Dear Diary,_

…

Unbeknownst to her, after sensing a different magical signature, the book erased all the previous writing. Tom Riddle had been waiting for his horcrux to be used again, waiting for what the Ravenclaw first year would have done. However, the different magical signature made him pause. Perhaps the girl had indeed taken him to a professor, which would complicate his plans. There would be no way any professor would not understand that his diary was an object to be wary of. They might not completely understand, horcruxes were rare and forbidden magic after all, but someone like Dumbledore would know immediately without having to touch the cover. It was by luck that the number of magical signatures within Hogwarts was so high that the fool wouldn't be able to pinpoint exactly where his presence was. However, that would change if they were in a room together with less interference.

He was anxiously waiting, since all he could do at this point was wait, but as soon as those first few words registered in his mind he breathed easier.

 _My name is Ginny Weasley and I'm a first year at Hogwarts. I have been waiting for my chance to go to school since my eldest brother Charlie wrote home and we would read his adventures._

This one was not as cautious, not as curious about the circumstances of the world, not as observant. No, this one was more along his target: a young, still impressionable first year who had average worries, and the bonus was that he could milk as much information as he could, and she would willingly give it to him.

 ** _Hello Ginny Weasley. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary? **[1]**_**

Instead, he was now reading about the life of Ginny Weasley and how she had been raised so far. It was a bore compared to the thoughts of the previous writer, but he would be able to convince this one easily to go along with his ways, he could tell that from the first few sentences.

…

…

…

…

…

It had been a few days and Emeree hadn't heard any snickers while her back was turned nor did she see any fingers pointed at her accusingly. Ginny either hadn't read the journal yet or had decided to completely ignore it. Honestly, she was waiting for the aftermath of her actions, especially with her thoughts on the Dark Lord Voldemort. The only inkling she had regarding the whereabouts of the journal itself was that feeling of being in its presence that she would occasionally get while in the hallway or in classes with Ginny. The girl had taken to carrying it around with her at least so she must have seen some of it. But, the girl didn't even acknowledge her in the halls, she always looked preoccupied these days. The only good news from that day was that Luna had thanked her for getting her shoes. They were friends now, though Emeree rarely saw the girl outside of classes and in the dorm room. Luna seemed to disappear for the most part, but always came back with exploits of various creatures. The others would laugh whenever she talked about them so Emeree had an idea that either the creatures didn't exist, and Luna made them up for some reason or that Luna was just privy to more information regarding magical animals than most people. She would pay attention when Luna spoke in case she needed to reference the creatures for the future.

After waiting for the consequences of her thoughts, she decided that her thoughts regarding her observations would remain in her head in the future. There was no way she would make the same mistake again, despite having liked seeing the musings on paper. Emeree instead spent the time before bed composing mental journal entries as exercises in observation and recall. If she was able to slowly teach herself to remember these things, she should be able to apply the same techniques to her studies and perhaps garner the skill of only having to read something once. She was sure that she wouldn't gain anything along the lines of having an eidetic memory, but the extra time gained from not having to review literature would let her study other things. It also helped her organize her thoughts and come to some interesting questions that she would ask her professors.

Back when she was first being introduced to Diagon Alley and the world of magic, the first thing she had looked for was a dictionary. Despite all the books available on spellcasting, magical creatures, and biographies, she was surprised to find that there wasn't much written with the idea of reading for the sake of reading. It seemed that this culture was more inclined to pass down knowledge of certain subjects such as spell crafting and wand lore and no one seemed to write novels for pleasure. There was nothing in the store about art, music, or culture besides the little Muggleborn introduction pamphlet she received from Professor McGonagall. There seemed to be no reason to even provide a dictionary of words that were used frequently by witches and wizards either. When she thought about it and looked over the Hogwarts curriculum, she shouldn't have been surprised. The classes were all about magical aptitude, with nothing to supplement writing skills. She was lucky that as the daughter of an archeologist and anthropologist pair, she was thrust into the world of academia rather early. Books had been her friends and documentaries had been her baby sitters. As an only child of two career driven people, it didn't lend one to much social interaction with those her own age. She learned how to go about things using the scientific method and "helped" peer review documents when her parents couldn't find anything else to keep her busy. A lot of the early years were spent looking up words in the dictionary to even begin to follow what was written in the journals and magazines her parents kept around the house. As a daughter of people who studied human culture and history, she was very perplexed that this new-found world seemed to be so unorganized and so blatant in their disregard for their own documentation. Her parents had inquired with Professor McGonagall about the magical equivalent to their professions and while the professor had not personally met one, she did say that magical archeologists did exist in the world. She was hoping to help contribute to her parents' discoveries and perhaps make her own once her schooling was finished. With this in mind, it was no surprise that she would be asking the questions that no one seemed to even consider asking.

…

…

…

…

Despite it being his designated office hours, Severus Snape was not surprised that he had been undisturbed for the entire day. Saturdays were left open to student inquiries and pleas for assistance, but through his entire teaching career the only student he ever had come to him for help had been Draco. Though, those visits usually ended up transforming into some tea and biscuit affair with the boy complaining about Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that. Severus was sure that Draco was still miffed about Potter snubbing his offer of friendship a year ago and he, as his godfather, had to suffer through his childishness. It was a good thing that he could so easily tune out Draco's ramblings and grade papers as usual. Today, he was fortunate that Draco was off with his friends and not sitting sullenly in front of him. He could do his grading in peace.

A soft triple knock had him pause in his work. His eyes narrowed before he sighed internally. He only had a few more scrolls to finish and dinner was only two hours away.

"Enter." He continued grading but was very aware of the person entering his office. She quietly closed his door after coming in and stood in front of his desk and seemed to just wait. The minutes ticked by as he continued to read the poor excuse of an essay in front of him, putting a particularly scathing remark next to the student's claim that lacewing flies could be replaced with fruit flies because they were similar enough and much cheaper. He wrote out how the student should give his potion a try after completion, so his fellow classmates would see the sore-throat soother turn into an esophagus eating concoction, maybe then he would understand that ingredient substitution wasn't based on the price of materials alone. He finished his comments, rolled the scroll up, tied it with the provided ribbon, sealed it with a few drops of wax pressed with his signet, placed it into the finished pile, and then he gave Miss Reyes his attention. He had left her standing in front of him for about five minutes now and she had not spoken, nor had she fidgeted. In fact, she was rather still for a child who had been kept waiting purposefully. He steepled his fingers in front of him, elbows leaning on his desk contemplating what may have brought her here for another minute before he spoke.

"How may I assist you Miss Reyes?" He ran through every interaction he had with her so far and found that while she was not at the top of her class, she was neither at the bottom. Her main problem while brewing was that she seemed to not finish during the time provided in most cases. Her potions were adequate to the step she was on, but competition was part of her grade. There was always time spend just staring at the ingredients in the beginning before she started slowly. He was not aware of any learning disabilities from her end, so she was either thinking of something during that time or unsure of where to start. Being from the house of Ravenclaw he was confident that it wasn't the latter since by now the older students would have cautioned the younger ones to do their readings in advance and make sure to re-read the potions they were making earlier on in the day. Miss Reyes did not needlessly volunteer answers, but at the same time her answers were not verbatim from the text like most of her classmates. While he did not account for class participation in his grading, he did make mental note of when students asked questions, if they answered questions correctly, and if they were paying attention. Despite not being able to finish a good number of potions in class, her essays seemed to make up for them. They were surprisingly well written and thoughtful. He watched her stand up straighter before starting.

"Professor Snape, I have questions about the Boil Cure potion from last week if you have time."

"Seeing as you are utilizing my office hours, we must conclude that I have the time." Severus was waiting. The Boil Cure potion was considered an elementary potion, thus one of the first he taught students to brew. There wasn't much a student could ask about it considering the ingredient list was small, the instructions were simple, and the description provided in the book covered its use and shelf life.

"Why are the instructions and ingredient list so vague?" Severus stared at her for a few seconds before proceeding. He should have seen this coming from the way she stared at her ingredients, the way she answered in class, and especially in the way she wrote her essays. She was the type to absorb information and then experience it to fully understand it. He would need to be more watchful in the future.

"Care to explain your thoughts further Miss Reyes?" He motioned to the stool next to his desk for her to sit. She did so, placing her bag on the floor, her feet resting on the stool's higher set foot rest. First years were so small.

"Well, the instructions say to crush the snake fangs into a fine power, but doesn't say what kind of snake fangs. The kit I've purchased had different types of snake fangs in it from different species and different sizes and colors. Considering that some of the ones in my kit aren't even fangs at all, but constrictor teeth I wonder why the potion works despite the variation in ingredients. Potion making seems more like a science as opposed to cooking." This was the type of thinking that he had hoped to encounter. He had expected Hermione Granger to be the first to knock on his door with questions of this type, but after her first year he realized that she was the type of student who excelled at the memorization of facts. There was, unfortunately, no deeper thinking involved. Miss Granger was the studious Muggleborn archetype that would completely try to prove herself and her worth in the magical world by being at the top of the class by spouting answers verbatim and cramming outside information in her essays hoping to impress. Miss Reyes however was the type of student who read, questioned, and tried to gain a deeper understanding of the world. She was a Muggleborn that came from a background where questioning what was presented was normal. He remembered the brief conversation with Minerva regarding magical archeologists and if he had ever met one. He had answered in the negative and asked the reason for her asking. Apparently, Miss Reyes' parents were involved in the world of anthropology and archeology and had inquired as to whether there was a magical equivalent.

"What can you tell me of boils Miss Reyes?" The girl looked at up towards her left, most likely trying to remember information she had read.

"Well, they are sites of skin inflammation around a hair follicle. The body's white blood cells try to combat the infection which leads to the pus." Severus blinked slowly. It was a scientific answer that made sense considering her upbringing.

"Yes. Now, what are the other ingredients of the potion?"

"Horned slugs, porcupine quills, and salt water." He could see her mind thinking, most likely bringing up reference material that she had read in the past. "Sir, is the boil cure potion more about what the ingredients are made of and their properties versus putting something together in exact amounts?" The Potions Master pressed his fingers together.

"Walk me through your thinking Miss Reyes." Despite his strict demeaner in the classroom and his overall dislike of teaching students, he enjoyed teaching those that were interested in the subject. His N.E.W.T. class very rarely had anyone looking to pursue potions as a profession, but they at least were more inclined to listen and think for themselves.

"The boil cure potion is meant to be applied topically so it must seep into the skin. The base is salt water which is meant to cleanse pores and help keep bacteria from growing." Here she stopped. "Um, do you know what bacteria is, Sir?" Severus smirked internally. He was able to become a Master at such a young age due to his half-blood background. Muggle science had helped pave the way for his achievements.

"Yes, Miss Reyes. I am knowledgeable in the areas of science. Do continue with your explanation."

"Slugs in general give off mucus which help protect them from sun, bacteria, and cuts. It also has protective and regenerative properties which have been utilized for skin care since the Ancient Greeks. Are the horned slugs special amongst their species professor?"

"Horned slugs release more mucus since they are found in a desert area. The excess mucus allows them to be protected from the heat of the sun and the salt in the sand. The mucus also allows them to extract moisture from the air in the event that there is drought." Severus found himself answering without his typical annoyance when a student did not know an answer. "What about porcupine quills and the snake fangs?"

"Porcupine quills are made of keratin which helps keep skin protected. I'm not sure about snake fangs."

"Without getting too technical Miss Reyes, snake fangs are composed of a type of calcium referred to as hydroxyapatite which has been shown to improve skin quality. In this case, the fangs are not the real ingredient, it is the chemical component found in them that is sought after. Of course, those in the magical world do not know of chemistry, but they know that snake fangs produce the results they need, regardless of species or size. Thus, the powdered snake fangs are added to the salt water first, so they dissolve and create a stable base for the other ingredients to be added. The slugs are added second so that the mucus mixes properly with the calcium in the fangs and helps thicken the potion. The porcupine quills also have antibiotic properties which makes them quite useful in this potion, but they are added last after the potion is taken off the heat lest they cause a reaction which turns the potion acidic." He remembered the previous year when Longbottom had done just that and caused his potion to spew acid that started to eat through his classmates' shoes.

"So, why do the quills cause such a negative reaction? There isn't much else in them and porcupines aren't very dangerous animals." Severus furrowed his brows a moment before understanding hit him.

"All the ingredients we use Miss Reyes are from either magical plants or animals. While some bare the same name as those you are familiar with, the large difference is that the magic within the ingredients also affects the potion. The magical variety of porcupines whose quills we use are known to use them as projectiles that once encounter the body heat of another creature will turn to acid. This is why you are instructed to pick up the quills with a pair of tweezers. That is why the quills must be added after the potion has been taken off the flame and cooled completely."[2] Severus watched the student in front of him absorb the information and saw her bite her lip. "You have further questions?"

"You mentioned in our first class that there was no foolish wand waving." He inclined his head.

"I did."

"I didn't really understand what you meant until you explained that we use magical animals and plants. In our other classes, our wands make it easy for me to see a connection in the spells I was doing and the magic that apparently came from somewhere inside my body." There was something about this line of thinking that had Severus more alert, but he couldn't yet place what it was. "If the magic in potions is coming from the ingredients, does that mean that anyone can make a potion provided the correct supplies and instructions?" Severus stared at her, hoping that she would not ask the question that he himself had not thought of until just now. "Does that mean that nonmagicals can make potions since the magic isn't supplied from the person making the potion?" Severus closed his eyes slowly and pondered the question. Despite his time as a Master of the craft and his time as a Professor who had encountered Muggleborn children every year, this question had never come up. It was not something that he had ever thought about because he had no need to think about it. Potions had been clarified as a magical area of study because yes, while there were easy potions such as the Boil Cure, others required a combination of Charms and Arithmancy, which in the end did need a wand. If one where to look at Muggle lore, witches were defined by their ability to fly on brooms and make potions from large bubbling cauldrons. He did not know the answer because he had never experimented on it. He had never needed to know if anyone other than himself could brew a potion. He opened his eyes and thought back to the students he had taught. There did not seem like any correlation with magical power and potion results. Vincent Crabbe's potions turned out as effective as Hermione Granger's when he forced the boy to stay after and do exactly what he said.

"I do not know Miss Reyes." The admission was a bitter thing. He should be able to answer any question from the mouth of a student, especially a first year. He could see her zeroing in on his answer and he needed to make sure that this did not result in a mind-altering revelation that would change the course of wizard history due to the innocent questioning to someone else in the field. He could imagine the reception from another Master if this girl were to send a letter of inquiry by owl. "Seeing as you have brought an interesting predicament to the table, how about as an extra credit project, you work with me to determine whether your hypothesis is true?" As the girl thanked him for the opportunity he made plans to bring up her line of questioning at the next staff meeting. If her mind was as sharp as he thought, it wouldn't be long until she started asking questions to the other Professors.

* * *

[1] Taken from _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 240_

[2] After looking up the ingredients to the potion and making my explanations, I am once again wondering if JKR was a genius in how she made these small things work together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

Emeree could see that she had bothered Professor Snape slightly with her questioning. He was very good in keeping his emotions and thoughts to himself, but he had closed his eyes a bit longer than his typical blink. One of her parents' interns had done the same thing when she had asked him question after question that he couldn't really answer. She had assumed that since he was older and in university he would know the answers to some of the questions she had, but he was learning as much as she had been. Thinking back on it, she hoped that summer hadn't deterred him from pursuing archeology.

Professor Snape had been kind enough to entertain her questions and offering an extra credit project was more than what she anticipated on getting. They had set up another time to meet and she suggested that perhaps they get a sampling of students and faculty of different magical backgrounds to create the same potion using the same ingredients and instructions to compare each sample. Everyone seemed to be overly concerned about blood status but showing results in this area that contradicted the popular thought that Pureblooded wizards and witches were superior would go a long way in advancing the entire culture forward. She would have to inquire about how places around the world dealt with magical and nonmagical interactions and if they subscribed to the same thinking regarding blood.

"Miss Reyes, do you require an escort to the Great Hall?" Emeree was startled slightly but smiled shyly. She may have finished her meeting with the professor but had not made it past the closed door before her thinking took over. She hadn't realized how long she must have been standing there, especially if it was time for him to head up towards dinner. Gods, he must think she was an idiot still standing in front of his door. How awkward. She could see him furrow his brow, she was taking too long to answer.

"I'm sorry Professor, I was just thinking over some things. I don't want to take up any more of your time if you are in a rush." Professor Snape looked at her face for a moment, as if trying to decipher the sincerity of her words before relaxing his brow.

"Considering you have been standing outside my door for the past thirty minutes, perhaps I should make sure you reach our mutual destination. Come." He started walking and Emeree fell in step next to him. He seemed to find that somewhat curious if his side glance was anything to go by, but he said nothing. Emeree wondered if there were any students that even bothered to walk within the same ten feet of Professor Snape considering his reputation. The two of them walking side by side must look so strange to anyone passing by. After a few minutes, she placed her left hand on the stone wall and let her fingers drag along the surface as they continued. The stone was smoother than she had originally thought, most likely due to the amount of students pressing up against them over the years. Some parts were rough, some were slightly damp, and some were growing an interesting type of moss that she had never seen before. Eventually, the stones grew warmer with the change in elevation and she could hear the noise of the Great Hall and students chatting away. Suddenly, she didn't feel like going into the room full of noise and children and people who only worried about their studying. She didn't really want to be around people period. She must have stopped again because Professor Snape was staring at her, blatantly enough that others in the hallway were whispering quietly to themselves as they passed them.

"Is there a problem, Miss Reyes?" Professor Snape's voice was quiet, but she could hear him just fine as if he was right in front of her. Her eyes snapped to his and she could feel something. It was similar to the feeling that she had when the journal had been in the same room as her. There was something she couldn't quite grasp with her senses, but this time it was starting to become all encompassing. She stepped back towards the wall and placed her hand on it. Something about the stone was comforting, like a ripple of energy that she could barely sense just underneath the warmth. Or perhaps it was the warmth. Could people feel magic? Was it a tangible thing outside of colored spells? Her breathing had turned a bit erratic without her notice and the feeling that something was here surrounding her was growing. She closed her eyes and clamped hands over her ears to block out the sound. It was like silence, like white noise, but getting louder but muffled at the same time. It was like she was in a void that wanted to both cradle her and swallow her whole. Hands on her own pulled her back just in time to hear a scream from down the corridor.

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Severus had not expected the girl to stand outside his door once their meeting was over. He was actually somewhat concerned when thirty minutes had passed, and his ward indicated that she had not moved from her spot. He had finished his grading but had waited a few minutes longer in the event that she decided to knock again. When he decided that he could wait no longer, especially since tonight was the blasted Halloween Feast, he opened the door and spoke.

"Miss Reyes, do you require an escort to the Great Hall?" The girl had startled, oblivious to his presence or anything around her. He had decided to monitor her a bit in the event some type of medical issue would occur. It wouldn't be the first time that Hogwarts had a student who suddenly had seizures due to the proximity to magic. After having her follow him to the Great Hall he noticed that she fell in step by his side, seemingly unworried at her position there. Most students would reluctantly follow at least five paces away. He observed her fingers on the wall but made no judgement from that. He had watched many children run their hands along the chain link fences in Cokeworth and enough students follow the bushes on the grounds with their palms to know that sometimes tactile feel just kept the mind satiated. It wasn't until he felt her stop in the corridor leading to the Great Hall that he turned. He watched her for a moment before speaking. His voice caught her attention enough for them to lock eyes and he was concerned when her pupils suddenly dilated and her breathing became shorter, breaths more shallow. He did a passive scan with legilimency but couldn't make sense of the confusion, panic, and slight fear. He stepped forward as she stepped back, uncaring that they had somewhat of an audience now. The girl had slipped down the wall, eyes shut, hands clamped over her ears as if there was something she was hiding from. The behavior was worrying, but as soon as he put a hand on her own to try and bring her back to the current moment, her eyes snapped open and the both of them turned to their right where a scream was echoing through the walls.

He quickly stood, pulling Emeree up with him. A large crowd was already forming down the hallway and he could see Minerva and Filius pushing their way through the students gathered. He narrowed his eyes. It could have been a coincidence, but his instincts were telling him that the two events were related. Of course, he didn't think the girl beside him was responsible for whatever was happening down the hall, but the fact that she had a mild panic attack before the event happened was curious. He thought back to how Emeree would seem to stare at the ingredients in class, holding them in her hand as if perplexed and wondered if the reason she did so was because she was more in tune to magic than most of her peers. Could she feel it, almost as if it had a physical presence? There had been a few cases of students in the past that had been slightly more empathetic than others when it came to feeling magic, though most of them had ended up either as curse breakers, like Bill Weasley, wardsmiths, or focused their talents in wandmaking. But, he was sure that their sensitivity was short range, versus Emeree who seemed to be able to feel something happening from at least a corridor length away. He mentally shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself now. If that was the case, just standing within Hogwarts should set her off considering the accumulation of years of ambient magical energy. There was something going on here. Yes, she may be somewhat sensitive to magic, but that did not mean she was sensing whatever it was that was happening. That brought him back to the thought that he still had no idea what was happening down the hall. He tightened his hold on Emeree's hand.

"Miss Reyes, I do not think it wise to leave you at this moment, but I also cannot ignore my duties. Please follow me while I clarify the situation down the hall, and then we will proceed to the hospital wing." Emeree merely nodded before dutifully following the Potions professor towards the crowd of people. The closer she got, the more anxious she felt. There was something over there that was making her acutely aware of something. However, with Professor Snape leading them through the crowd with a hand lightly resting on her shoulder she couldn't stop or pull away. Being led through the crowd of students who were murmuring about some type of attack didn't help focus her attention. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the pressure on her shoulder, the warmth from Professor Snape's hand, and the slight tightening that would direct her which way to go. But then she could feel something else. It was like a second, faint feeling that wasn't coming from his hand, but from higher up. Unable to stop herself, she found her focus shifting and followed it to the source. It was originating from the middle of his forearm and while it wasn't affecting her like whatever happened in the corridor a few minutes ago, she thought it felt somewhat familiar despite the strange feeling also surrounding whatever it was. Following it had also calmed her and she opened her eyes to see that everything seemed to have happened in a few heartbeats. The crowd was still around and Professor Snape was still leading her towards the front. Students were caught between talking about what was happening and spreading how she was being pushed forward by Snape. Once they were in the front, the silent command to stay put was conveyed by the brief squeeze she felt before he released her shoulder. From what she could see there were three Gryffindor students being questioned by Professor McGonagall and a cat was hanging by its tail from a light sconce.

"Potter, why am I not surprised to find you involved with whatever mess this is?" She blinked at the Professor's voice. He did not seem to like Harry Potter.

"A petrification is much too advanced for second years." McGonagall stated before facing the wall that the cat was hanging from. "And I very much doubt that Mr. Potter and his friends are responsible for this." Emeree looked at the wall and read the message "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware." Snape had left her side and was discussing with the other professors, the Headmaster, and the caretaker so didn't hear a blonde Slytherin boy comment about how mudbloods would be next. Despite wanting to hear more of what the student was saying, her attention was once again taken by something in the crowd. This was the familiar feeling of being watched, the feeling of that journal that Ginny Weasley now had. The girl was by the corridor wall furthest from the hanging cat and was hugging her arms. Perhaps the girl loved cats and was rather distraught to see one dead. Emeree watched Ginny for a few moments before the girl seemed to sense her eyes and looked back at her. They held gazes for a few seconds before the girl fled. It wasn't long after that the professors were ushering the students back to their dorms, stating that the prefects would be in charge of making sure that everyone was accounted for, and that food would be brought to the common rooms. She saw Professor Snape speak briefly with Professor Flitwick, both glancing at her at the same time when she still hadn't moved from her spot. They seemed to agree on whatever it was before both headed towards her direction.

"Miss Reyes, Professor Snape tells me that he has made plans to accompany you to the hospital wing. Would you rather I walk you down?" Emeree looked at Professor Flitwick who wasn't very much taller than she was before looking at Professor Snape.

"Professor Snape's escort is fine." Emeree stated.

"Very well. I will see you back in the dorms then." Flitwick nodded, looked back at Snape, nodded again, and continued down the hall towards Ravenclaw Tower. Emeree wondered if the professor was slightly disappointed in the fact that his student had chosen someone else over him. It wasn't anything personal, Professor Snape had just been there. Soon enough it was only the two of them and she looked at her professor for a moment more before realizing that the lack of people was making her awareness sharper.

Something was here, something that didn't feel exactly friendly. Her arms were breaking out into gooseflesh, but she hadn't realized she was shivering until a blanket was spread around her shoulders. Not fully comprehending where it was coming from, she grasped it tightly and tried to hide from the feeling. She didn't understand, she didn't know why suddenly her body was reacting like this. It was like something was moving around her, teasing at her senses and she couldn't see it. Humans were so used to their ability to process information visually, that this idea of something just out of her vision, of her ability to comprehend was setting her more and more on edge, especially after the entire journal situation. Ginny must have interacted with the journal as well and she had left, did that mean she could feel it to? Her thoughts were stopped abruptly when a hand went to her shoulder. That focus she had a few minutes ago was back and it was helping her calm down.

'Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale." She could faintly recognize Professor Snape's voice, but just following the commands to regulate her breathing took up most of her attention. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inha—

Pop. She jerked badly.

The bubble of pressure that had been mounting around her suddenly released. The air wasn't as heavy. The faded roaring in her ears was gone. She felt normal now. She hadn't realized she was laughing until she was already doubled over, tears down her cheeks.

"It's gone. It's gone. It's gone." The words kept spilling out of her mouth much like a child trying to convince herself that monsters under the bed weren't real. She had been scared, so scared, but now it was okay. It was okay.

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Severus had thought whatever held the girl in such a state had passed. She had replied to Flitwick easily enough, and now he realized that it had been an idiotic mistake. He should have insisted the three of them go down to the hospital wing together immediately. The girl was still crying, the laughing fit over, but didn't seem to respond to outside stimulus. He had noticed her shivering and conjured a blanket, assuming she was dealing with some form of delayed reaction. It wouldn't have been a stretch to think she was going into shock. However, she had tried to bury herself in the blanket, as if hiding from something. It was very reminiscent of his youth; hiding under the covers, trying to block out the noises of flesh hitting flesh and glass breaking. He had tried to steer her towards the infirmary with a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to help for a moment along with instructions to breath. It had been going well until she had jerked from his grasp unexpectedly. Then he had been at an almost complete loss when she started crying and laughing simultaneously. He had been hesitant to approach especially since she kept repeating the words "It's gone" over and over. However, she was now staring through him, instead of at him, pupils still blown wide to the point where he could barely see a ring of brown around the black.

"Miss Reyes, can you hear me?" He was about to send off some patronuses before her hand squeezed around his wrist. The girl closed her eyes and seemed to compose herself before looking up, this time recognizing that he was there.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I don't know what happened." He furrowed his brow.

"Are you prone to panic attacks Miss Reyes?" He slowly put a hand on her shoulder and started guiding her towards the hospital wing. The girl shook her head in the negative.

"No, this is the first time this has happened. It was like I was being bombarded with noise while at the same time being separated from it. Something was present just beyond my ability to see or feel. As if I was suddenly above an ocean and monsters were lurking just beneath the depths." The Potions Master took a moment to think about this. It was not uncommon for children to suddenly find themselves overwhelmed, especially when transitioning to a place where magic was swirling constantly, however, it was uncommon to describe the sensation in such a negative way. Previous students had mentioned feelings of warmth when touching the castle walls or random moments of giddiness, but none so far had mentioned the sensations accompanied by any auditory triggers. And none had made it seem as if it were frightening.

"Have you felt anything similar before?" The girl scrunched up her brows in thought before speaking.

"There was a time my parents had an archaeological dig in Syria. I was much younger, so I can't recall much of it except for the feeling. There was something about the site that really scared me and I was sure that there were creatures in the ruins that would eat me if I strayed too far from the tent. It wasn't as all-encompassing as today, but more of a lingering in the back of my mind."

"Do you remember what your parents were working on?" The hospital wing doors were just down the hall now.

"It was the Ain Dara Temple in 1985. It was the only site in Syria my parents have visited. We keep a world map of pins with places and dates hanging in the study wall." Severus almost whipped his head at her at that declaration but forced his head to stay straight. Ain Dara Temple was one of the places that was steeped in ritualistic dark magic. History said that a group of hedge mages had been experimenting and created a creature that they hid within the temple and treated like their god. Of course, the local village had been used as human sacrifices to keep the beast fed. Eventually, the group was killed by the being they had worshiped and the creature for some reason could not maintain its form without the magical energy from the mages. Ain Dara had been an interest to the Dark Lord due to the supposed creation of this mysterious beast and Severus had been tasked with uncovering information about it. It had been one of his last assignments before the Dark Lord's defeat.

Due to its dark magical history, Muggles were unaware that this temple was not in fact created to honor some fertility goddess or that the stone lions and sphinxes were meant to animate and catch unsuspecting prey to feed to the creature within its depths. He was surprised that Emeree was able to sense something malevolent about the space without having gone inside the entrance. Most magical reports talked about curse breakers feeling uneasy after entering but not before.

"Ah Professor Snape how may I assist you?" Madam Pomfrey greeted them at the entrance of the infirmary.

"This is Miss Reyes. If you could run a diagnostic check it would put both Professor Flitwick and myself at ease. She had some sort of anxiety attack today." The hospital matron clucked her tongue.

"With what happened, I'm not surprised." Neither Snape nor Emeree corrected her as to when it happened. "Come on dear, let's get you seated in a bed while I run some tests." It wasn't long until Emeree was answering questions about her medical history between anecdotes of school safety. Severus leaned against the bed across from them and watched the diagnostic spells run their course. Nothing out of the ordinary besides still slightly elevated blood pressure and heart rate. Poppy had given the girl a mild calming draught and declared her fit to leave. It was on the way to Ravenclaw Tower that he concluded that Emeree Reyes was someone that was going to be a huge pain in the arse.


End file.
